Volunteer

You Are Needed

There are several volunteer positions that need to be filled in your DMA®. Please take the time to look over the following and give your consideration.

We need someone to schedule and organize enthusiastic DMA® Science Fair Judges to participate in two days of entry analysis, annually. In addition to receiving free meals, you get to see what science innovations and computer talents the younger generation can offer.

Individuals with talent in designing computer graphics are needed to help form the Graphics Committee. Fliers to inform the public of the services DMA® provides to the community; DataBusarticle enhancement; Public Service Announcements; Television Advertisements; Web Site Support; and other visual forms of entertainment (and enlightenment), will be the challenges offered to this committee.

The DMA® needs Media Assistants to help prepare news releases for mailings. With your assistance: both Computerfest® events each year, the DMA® general meetings and our SIG meetings will be the most publicized, ever.

Volunteers are needed to call people for Computerfest® and other event participation. Members who aren’t currently in the volunteer database, including those who have volunteered in the past and others who have recently registered through the web page, need to be scheduled. A phone bank, as well as loyal individuals calling independently, will be used this year–making this job much easier.

To further prepare for the future, DMA® needs members to participate on a Strategic Planning Committee. If you have organization planning skills; if you have access to community growth trends; if you like to analyze facts and figures in the effort to arrive at logical conclusions; if you would like to help determine DMA®’s future; or if you are clairvoyant, this could be the most rewarding volunteer effort you can experience. Many other committees, as well as the DMA® board may be guided by your efforts.

The DMA® needs talented volunteers to contribute to the Facilities Management Committee. This committee will oversee the remodeling and maintenance of DMA®’s physical property at 119 Valley Street, by making arrangements for its general care, repair and upkeep. If you have hands-on building maintenance experience; if you have supervised those who have; or if you have arranged for professionals to make repairs to buildings and other property–your time, talent and efforts are needed. Participation in this committee doesn’t mean that you will be expected to do the maintenance, just be able to find people who can, and at a reasonable price. This committee’s chair will report to DMA®’s board of trustees with the committee’s advice for maintenance and upkeep.

Membership Development Committee members are initially needed to act as a nominating committee in anticipation of DMA®’s officer election. The Committee will also recruit and develop DMA® members throughout the year to meet its member’s and the community’s needs by finding and preparing talented, able and willing individuals to become the future leaders of DMA®.

Marketing Research Analyst John Sharp, has again agreed to guide the DMA® through a Computerfest® market survey. Since the first survey elicited responses from Fall 1995 participants, we would like to remain proactive by polling the most recent Spring participants to see if attendee’s needs have changed. Survey Committee volunteers will participate in the formulation and mailing of the survey, and are needed for data entry, once the surveys are returned by attendees. In addition to helping the DMA® make sure Computerfest® attendee’s needs are met for future shows, committee volunteers can learn about market research.

Members of the Financial Committee will advise the DMA® Board of Trustees on how the organization’s money can be spent more effectively. Rather than assembling ad-hoc budget committees each year, we have been advised to develop a Financial Committee to perform those duties, as well as carry out regular, consistent financial evaluation. Experience in sound business practices is a valuable talent for this committee’s participants.

Special needs computer users need setup and very basic computer training. DMA®’s Ohio Technology Access Project (OTAP), in its joint volunteer effort with the Technology Resource Center, furnishes computers to people with special needs, handicaps, and limitations. Some program participants are in need of further assistance with their computers, and would like help with the connecting of cables, the loading of basic applications and a brief orientation to the use of the recently acquired computer. Initially, two or three people are desired for meeting anticipated needs.

A Volunteer Coordinator is needed to assure that the many volunteers who wish to offer their time, talent, energy and efforts toward improving our organization, are able to assist the DMA® in ways that improve the individual, as well as the DMA®, in the most productive ways possible. This volunteer would work with the people in charge of various DMA® activities to determine their volunteer needs. Though, this is not intended to be a Computerfest® position, it is conceivable that there will be a synergistic relationship with members of the Computerfest® volunteer staff. The maintenance and updating of this column in the DataBus would also be the responsibility of the Volunteer Coordinator.

For those who regularly participate as a Computerfest® volunteer, there are Special Computerfest® Jobs which offer more challenging volunteer experiences. Please see the Computerfest® web site (http://www.computerfest.com) for a list and brief description of other tasks that can be performed.

A project presently taking place which can benefit our members, as well as a great many others in the community, is “NetKids.” The Dayton Public Schools, through its “NetKids” project, is bringing volunteers together from the region, to prepare schools so kids can have better access to computers and to the Internet.

The project involves installing network cables into schools and other learning facilities including: Stivers, Roth, Wilbur Wright, Patterson and Greene/Longfellow schools. If you have attended one of these schools, or have an interest in participating in this most helpful effort, you can call Melanie Gillium at 257-8022 or, if you desire more information about this project, you may call the Dayton Public schools Computing and Technology Department at 461-3161.

There are many ways to enjoy what DMA® has to offer. The most obvious is to participate at the many informative meetings DMA® makes available to both its members and the community. As well as being able to both enjoy and experience personal growth through participation in DMA® events, the above range of opportunities is provided for the individual to directly participate in DMA®’s improvement and in ways your organization can better serve both its members and the community.

Compared to may other similar organizations, the DMA® enjoys a high level of membership participation. If you choose to participate further: Send email to either president@dma1.org or dma-board@dma1.org You can also call the DMA® Information line: (937) 222-4DMA(4362). Please furnish your name, interests, phone number and email address.